Traditionally, hair combs have been made by molding them of hard rubber or plastic in a mold with a parting line which extends through the mid-plane of the comb. The tooth surfaces taper in either direction away from this parting line to permit the molded part to be drawn from the mold. The ridge that is thus formed on the surface of the tooth is considered undesirable by many barbers, even when the mold is perfectly formed. When the mold begins to wear, however, and the two halves of the mold are slightly out of registry, a burr is actually formed along the parting line. This burr is not only damaging to the hair, when the comb is drawn through it, but is capable of retaining dirt and organic matter and provide a perfect location for the growth of bacteria. Attempts to overcome this difficulty have been made, one solution being to form the comb as a solid element and then to use a rotary saw for cutting the teeth. Unfortunately, teeth that are cut in this way have surfaces which bear the saw tooth marks and other irregularities; they are just as objectionable as the parting line irregularity. Furthermore, since a great deal of hand work is required, such cut combs are quite expensive. These and other difficulties experienced with the prior art devices have been obviated in a novel manner by the present invention.
It is, therefore, an outstanding object of the invention to provide a comb whose teeth have smooth, flat surfaces.
Another object of this invention is the provision of a comb whose teeth have no irregularities due to the method of making.
A further object of the present invention is the provision of a comb whose teeth have smooth, flat parallel facing surfaces.
It is another object of the instant invention to provide a comb free of locations in which bacteria can grow.
A still further object of the invention is the provision of a method of making a comb which is free of manufacturing irregularities.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a apparatus for making a comb wherein no taper need be provided for drawing the teeth, so that the teeth can be formed with perfectly flat, smooth, parallel facing surfaces.
It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a method of forming a comb with rectangular teeth cross-section, wherein no secondary or or finishing operations need be performed.